Phys.org news tagged with:spinal cordhttp://phys.org/
en-usPhys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine.Programming adult stem cells to treat muscular dystrophy and more by mimicking natureStem cells hold great potential for addressing a variety of conditions from spinal cord injuries to cancer, but they can be difficult to control. Scientists are now reporting in the journal ACS Nano a new way to mimic the body's natural approach to programming these cells. Using this method, they successfully directed adult stem cells to turn specifically into muscle, which could potentially help treat patients with muscular dystrophy.http://phys.org/news/2015-07-adult-stem-cells-muscular-dystrophy.html
Cell & Microbiology Wed, 22 Jul 2015 10:50:02 EDTnews356779575Inside a former Ford plant, a robot takes step into the futureMore than 80 years ago, Model As rolled out of the gleaming new Ford assembly plant at the edge of the San Francisco Bay. Today the brick "daylight factory" with tall ceilings and an open floor plan is where state-of-the-art technology of a different era is manufactured - wearable robots that help humans walk, lift heavy items and run faster.http://phys.org/news/2015-07-ford-robot-future.html
Robotics Thu, 16 Jul 2015 18:38:02 EDTnews356290673Exoskeleton keeps up with flow on the streets of New YorkReWalk Robotics, is a medical device company which has created ReWalk, an exoskeleton. The company team is focused on exoskeletons that can allow wheelchair-bound people to stand up and walk—not just in the rehab rooms of hospitals and clinics but in the real world of community and home.http://phys.org/news/2015-07-exoskeleton-streets-york.html
Engineering Thu, 16 Jul 2015 15:40:02 EDTnews356278574Nanowire implants offer remote-controlled drug deliveryA team of researchers has created a new implantable drug-delivery system using nanowires that can be wirelessly controlled.http://phys.org/news/2015-06-nanowire-implants-remote-controlled-drug-delivery.html
Bio & Medicine Tue, 23 Jun 2015 15:45:32 EDTnews354293120Tomorrow's tomography today: Simultaneous 3D imaging of vascular and neuronal networks in mouse spinal cord tissue(Phys.org)—Given that blood supply to the brain and spinal cord is fundamental to central nervous system (CNS) physiology and pathology, it's not surprising that trauma and disease in spinal cord blood vessels and neurons lead to a range of neurodegenerative pathologies and other serious consequences. However, current imaging tools do not generate sufficient dimensionality, resolution, contrast and other factors critical to investigating neurodegenerative pathologies and spinal-cord-injuries, as well as to understanding the relationship between vascular and neuronal systems.http://phys.org/news/2015-03-tomorrow-tomography-today-simultaneous-3d.html
Analytical Chemistry Fri, 06 Mar 2015 10:20:01 EDTnews344858358Implanting complex multimodal fibers into the spinal columnThe human brain's complexity makes it extremely challenging to study—not only because of its sheer size, but also because of the variety of signaling methods it uses simultaneously. Conventional neural probes are designed to record a single type of signaling, limiting the information that can be derived from the brain at any point in time. Now researchers at MIT may have found a way to change that.http://phys.org/news/2015-01-implanting-complex-multimodal-fibers-spinal.html
Biotechnology Tue, 20 Jan 2015 08:40:02 EDTnews340964288From quirky to revolutionary, the CES show has them allSure, the International CES show was chock full of connected cars, smart home sensors, music gear and computer gadgets, as you'd expect. There were even drones buzzing the 160,000-plus people that tromped across the 2.2 million square feet of exhibit space along the Las Vegas Strip. But if you didn't get to see some of these goodies, well, you just haven't lived.http://phys.org/news/2015-01-quirky-revolutionary-ces.html
Consumer & Gadgets Fri, 09 Jan 2015 12:30:01 EDTnews340028294New technology reduces size of spinal stimulator implantsSpinal cord stimulator implants could use less power and be made much smaller as work from Taiwan and Israel eliminates off-chip high-voltage devices from the implant's pulse generator. This will reduce implant-related discomfort for patients using such implants to control chronic pain, and the work could also be applied to other medical devices, including muscle micro-stimulators.http://phys.org/news/2014-11-technology-size-spinal-implants.html
Semiconductors Thu, 20 Nov 2014 07:50:02 EDTnews335690297Optical control of motor functionsMIT researchers have demonstrated a highly flexible neural probe made entirely of polymers that can both optically stimulate and record neural activity in a mouse spinal cord—a step toward developing prosthetic devices that can restore functionality to damaged nerves.http://phys.org/news/2014-11-optical-motor-functions.html
Materials Science Mon, 10 Nov 2014 08:12:58 EDTnews334829571Researchers reconstruct early stages of embryo developmentResearchers at the University of Cambridge have managed to reconstruct the early stage of mammalian development using embryonic stem cells, showing that a critical mass of cells – not too few, but not too many – is needed for the cells to being self-organising into the correct structure for an embryo to form.http://phys.org/news/2014-11-reconstruct-early-stages-embryo.html
Cell & Microbiology Tue, 04 Nov 2014 07:30:02 EDTnews334308586Flexible polymer probes and magnetic nanoparticles promise breakthroughs for treating paralysis, brain diseaseBetter control of prosthetic limbs and better treatment of diseases like Parkinson's motivates Polina Anikeeva, the AMAX Assistant Professor in Materials Science and Engineering, to develop both flexible electronic devices and safe chemical methods to manipulate nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.http://phys.org/news/2014-09-flexible-polymer-probes-magnetic-nanoparticles.html
Biochemistry Wed, 03 Sep 2014 06:27:05 EDTnews328944354DIY glove-based tutor indicates muscle-memory potentialA senior editor at IEEE Spectrum worked on a DIY project that enabled his 11-year-old son to improve his touch typing by use of a vibrating glove. His son was already "pretty quick on the keyboard," said his father, David Schneider, but his finger technique could have used some more training. Schneider tried making a glove to serve as a training tool. Eight vibration motors were sewn into the fingers of cycling gloves. He programmed the Arduino to activate a given motor for a quarter of a second corresponding to each character he sent to the microcontroller's serial port—"a "1" would vibrate the motor pressing on the left pinkie, a "2" for the left ring finger, a "3" for the left middle finger, and so forth." He had to write a program that could run on a laptop for his son to associate the stimulation of the fingers with the correct sequence of keystrokes. He chose Tkinter, Python's de-facto standard Graphical User Interface package. The program presented a word and showed the word spelled out on the screen. It sent the appropriate character to the Arduino so that the corresponding finger was vibrated.http://phys.org/news/2014-08-diy-glove-based-muscle-memory-potential.html
Engineering Sun, 31 Aug 2014 07:40:01 EDTnews328685901How lizards regenerate their tails: Researchers discover genetic 'recipe'By understanding the secret of how lizards regenerate their tails, researchers may be able to develop ways to stimulate the regeneration of limbs in humans. Now, a team of researchers from Arizona State University is one step closer to solving that mystery. The scientists have discovered the genetic "recipe" for lizard tail regeneration, which may come down to using genetic ingredients in just the right mixture and amounts.http://phys.org/news/2014-08-lizards-regenerate-tails-genetic-recipe.html
Biotechnology Wed, 20 Aug 2014 14:00:03 EDTnews327756189Sequencing the genome of salamandersUniversity of Kentucky biologist Randal Voss is sequencing the genome of salamanders. Though we share many of the same genes, the salamander genome is massive compared to our own, about 10 times as large.http://phys.org/news/2014-08-sequencing-genome-salamanders.html
Biotechnology Wed, 20 Aug 2014 09:19:09 EDTnews327745137Embedded microscopes for deep-tissue imaging could see reduction in animal use in researchScientists are aiming to implant a tiny microscope into a rat that could monitor cellular changes and reduce the number of animals used in medical research over time.http://phys.org/news/2014-04-embedded-microscopes-deep-tissue-imaging-reduction.html
Other Wed, 30 Apr 2014 09:26:51 EDTnews318068794How a Silly Putty ingredient could advance stem cell therapiesThe sponginess of the environment where human embryonic stem cells are growing affects the type of specialized cells they eventually become, a University of Michigan study shows.http://phys.org/news/2014-04-silly-putty-ingredient-advance-stem.html
Biochemistry Sun, 13 Apr 2014 13:00:09 EDTnews316608974Experts disagree on horses with incoordinationA trip to the veterinarian may prove fatal to a horse, even if it is not necessary to put the animal down. In Europe if the horse is found to be ataxic, which is most often due to the disease 'wobbler syndrome', the horse is likely to be put down immediately. If a horse suffers from this disease, putting it down can be a necessity, as the animal can be dangerous to ride and handle. But now new research from the University of Copenhagen and the Royal Veterinary College in the UK shows marked disagreement among experts about when a horse is ataxic and severity of the ataxia. It is particularly a problem if the ataxia is subtle, as this makes it more difficult to assess.http://phys.org/news/2014-04-experts-horses-incoordination.html
Plants & Animals Thu, 10 Apr 2014 10:20:01 EDTnews316342916Silicon-based probe microstructure could underpin safer neural implantsNeural probe arrays are expected to significantly benefit the lives of amputees and people affected by spinal cord injuries or severe neuromotor diseases. By providing a direct route of communication between the brain and artificial limbs, these arrays record and stimulate neurons in the cerebral cortex.http://phys.org/news/2014-03-silicon-based-probe-microstructure-underpin-safer.html
Engineering Wed, 26 Mar 2014 10:00:01 EDTnews315044463US envoy asked to visit Taiji to see 'humane' dolphin huntThe US ambassador to Japan should visit Taiji to see the "humane" killing methods used in the dolphin hunt, a local fisheries official said Tuesday, days after Caroline Kennedy tweeted her disapproval of the slaughter.http://phys.org/news/2014-01-envoy-taiji-humane-dolphin.html
Ecology Tue, 21 Jan 2014 05:00:04 EDTnews309501745Watching fish swimAs fish go, the lamprey has to be one of the most repulsive. Its eel-like body culminates in a tooth-encrusted sucker mouth straight out of a sci-fi horror film. Yet it turns out the lamprey, the most primitive of vertebrates, can do a pretty neat trick: bounce back from paralysis.http://phys.org/news/2014-01-fish.html
Plants & Animals Tue, 07 Jan 2014 07:34:11 EDTnews308302438A paradigm-shifting step in stem cell research(Phys.org) —A team of engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has created a process that may revolutionize stem cell research. The process, outlined in a paper published in Stem Cells on December 19, 2013, will improve the state of the art in the creation of synthetic neural stem cells for use in central nervous system research. http://phys.org/news/2013-12-paradigm-shifting-stem-cell.html
Cell & Microbiology Tue, 31 Dec 2013 08:51:05 EDTnews307702254Iowa State veterinary researcher studies new treatments for spinal injuries in dogsExperimental treatments for spinal cord injuries in dogs conducted at Iowa State University could someday lead to more effective therapies for humans suffering from similar injuries.http://phys.org/news/2013-11-iowa-state-veterinary-treatments-spinal.html
Plants & Animals Thu, 14 Nov 2013 09:30:02 EDTnews303643069Supported accommodation with a SmILEA worldwide study into best practice accommodation design for people living with an acquired brain or spinal cord injury has been released today.http://phys.org/news/2013-09-accommodation.html
Other Fri, 27 Sep 2013 06:18:30 EDTnews299481493Researchers explore the potential of an exoskeleton patients can control with their brainsJose Luis Contreras-Vidal looked on as Roger Rovekamp, wearing a skullcap covered in electrodes, took halting steps, each leg moved by the robotic exoskeleton wrapped around his body.http://phys.org/news/2013-09-explore-potential-exoskeleton-patients-brains.html
Engineering Tue, 17 Sep 2013 14:46:45 EDTnews298647994